Fleece for smokeless tobacco

Abstract

A fleece for a smokeless tobacco pouch is disclosed. The fleece is formed with apertures.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A smokeless tobacco pouch formed from a fleece comprising:
 hydroentangled viscose; and 
 a plurality of apertures formed therein, wherein the viscose comprises fibers having a decitex of 1.5 or less; 
 wherein the mean aperture size is at least 50 μm; 
 wherein the fleece comprises a first and a second direction; 
 wherein the apertures are oval in shape and extend substantially in the first direction; 
 wherein the fleece exhibits a bending rigidity of not more than 0.5 μNm in the second direction; 
 wherein the fleece, in a dry state, exhibits a tensile strength of at least 9 N/5 cm in the second direction; and 
 wherein the fleece, in a wet state, exhibits a tensile strength of at least 5 N/5 cm in the second direction. 
 
     
     
       2. A smokeless tobacco pouch formed from a fleece comprising a fleece material and a plurality of apertures formed therein, wherein the fleece material comprises viscose fibres generally parallel to one another, the apertures being oval in shape and extending in a direction substantially parallel to the fibres. 
     
     
       3. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , wherein the viscose fibres having a decitex of 1.5 or less. 
     
     
       4. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , wherein the mean aperture size ranges from 50 to 250 μm in diameter. 
     
     
       5. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , wherein the mean diameter of the apertures is 100 μm or greater. 
     
     
       6. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , wherein at least 50% of the apertures have a diameter of at least 100 μm. 
     
     
       7. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , further comprising a first and a second direction and in a dry state exhibiting a tensile strength of at least 9 N/5 cm in the second direction. 
     
     
       8. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , further comprising a first and a second direction and in a wet state exhibiting a tensile strength of at least 5 N/5 cm in the second direction. 
     
     
       9. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , further comprising a first and a second direction and exhibiting a bending rigidity of 0.5 μNm or less in the second direction. 
     
     
       10. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , having a mean aperture size of at least 50 μm in diameter. 
     
     
       11. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , which, if the pouch is immersed in water using a Franz diffusion cell, a colour intensity of the water in which the pouch is immersed is increased by a factor of at least 9 when comparing the colour intensity of the water after 10 seconds of the pouch being immersed in the water with the colour intensity after 30 seconds of the pouch being immersed in the water, the colour intensity measured using a spectrophotometer set at 260 nm. 
     
     
       12. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , wherein the smokeless tobacco pouch has a faster release rate of constituents compared to a pouch formed from a standard fleece, according to absorbance readings of a 3spectrophotometer set at 260 nm used to measure colour intensity of water in a Franz diffusion cell in which the pouches can be immersed, wherein a standard fleece is made of viscose fibres by standard fleece-making processes and does not have significantly visible apertures therein. 
     
     
       13. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 12 , having a release rate that is at least 25% faster compared to a pouch formed from a standard fleece. 
     
     
       14. The smokeless tobacco pouch according to  claim 2 , which, if immersed in water, produces an absorbance reading of a colour intensity of the water, measured using a Spectrophotometer, of at least 2 after 30 seconds of the smokeless tobacco pouch being immersed in the water.